Lorgia García Peña is an

ethnic studies Ethnic studies, in the United States, is the interdisciplinary study of difference—chiefly race, ethnicity, and nation, but also sexuality, gender, and other such markings—and power, as expressed by the state, by civil society, and by indivi ...

scholar, activist, and professor at the Effron Center for the Study of America and the department of African American studies at

Princeton University Princeton University is a private university, private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the List of Colonial Colleges, fourth-oldest ins ...

. She formerly served as Mellon professor of studies in race, colonialism, and diaspora at

Tufts University Tufts University is a private research university on the border of Medford and Somerville, Massachusetts. It was founded in 1852 as Tufts College by Christian universalists who sought to provide a nonsectarian institution of higher learning. ...

. She became a subject of national attention after being denied tenure at

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...

. She is the author of ''The Borders of Dominicanidad: Race, Nation and Archives of Contradiction'' and ''Translating Blackness: Latinx Colonialities in Global Perspective''. Her expertise lies in

Latino studies Latino studies is an academic discipline which studies the experience of people of Latin American ancestry in the United States. Closely related to other ethnic studies disciplines such as African-American studies, Asian American studies, and ...

, global blackness,

colonialism Colonialism is a practice or policy of control by one people or power over other people or areas, often by establishing colonies and generally with the aim of economic dominance. In the process of colonisation, colonisers may impose their relig ...

, migration, and

diaspora studies Diaspora studies is an academic field established in the late 20th century to study dispersed ethnic populations, which are often termed diaspora peoples. The usage of the term diaspora carries the connotation of forced resettlement, due to expu ...

, focusing on dominicanidades. In addition, her work is grounded on social justice, women of color feminisms, and Afro-Latino episteme. Central to García Peña’s work is her strong commitment to undocumented communities and first-generation students of color. She is the co-founder and a board member of Freedom University Georgia and an advisory board member for the Public Humanities Initiative. García Peña has received various awards, including the

Latin American Studies Association The Latin American Studies Association (LASA) is the largest association for scholars of Latin American studies. Founded in 1966, it has over 12,000 members, 45 percent of whom reside outside the United States (36 percent in Latin America and the C ...

’s Frank Bonilla Public Intellectual Award.

Early life and education

García Peña grew up in the

Dominican Republic The Dominican Republic ( ; es, República Dominicana, ) is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles archipelago of the Caribbean region. It occupies the eastern five-eighths of the island, which it shares wit ...

until she was 12 years old, when she immigrated to the United States, joining her parents who had departed earlier for

Trenton, New Jersey Trenton is the capital city of the U.S. state of New Jersey and the county seat of Mercer County. It was the capital of the United States from November 1 to December 24, 1784.Rutgers University Rutgers University (; RU), officially Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, is a Public university, public land-grant research university consisting of four campuses in New Jersey. Chartered in 1766, Rutgers was originally called Queen's ...

. She subsequently earned a master's degree in Spanish and Latin American literatures and cultures from Rutgers and a master's and Ph.D. in American cultures from the

University of Michigan , mottoeng = "Arts, Knowledge, Truth" , former_names = Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania (1817–1821) , budget = $10.3 billion (2021) , endowment = $17 billion (2021)As o ...

Career

García Peña began teaching at the

University of Georgia , mottoeng = "To teach, to serve, and to inquire into the nature of things.""To serve" was later added to the motto without changing the seal; the Latin motto directly translates as "To teach and to inquire into the nature of things." , establ ...

in 2010 as Assistant Professor of Latino/a Studies in the Romance Languages and Literatures Department. While teaching at the University of Georgia, Dr. García Peña co-founded Freedom University Georgia in 2011. This came as a response to Georgia’s Board of Regents’ decision to ban undocumented students from enrolling at the top five public universities in Georgia, and prohibiting them from qualifying for in-state tuition. Operating from Athens, Georgia, Freedom University provides tuition-free college instruction and various support networks for undocumented students. Dr. García Peña now serves as a board member for the university. She then taught at Harvard University from 2013 to 2021, jointly appointed in the Romance Languages and Literature department and the History and Literature program. She served as assistant professor, then Roy G. Clause Associate Professor. She was denied tenure in November 2019, and though different groups repeatedly urged the university to revisit the decision, the university did not. The case is pending before the Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination, as García Peña alleges it was part of a pattern of discrimination she encountered across her time at Harvard. She was appointed to a tenured position at

in the Department of Studies in Race, Colonialism, and Diaspora and began teaching in fall 2021. The position is supported by a $1.5 million grant from the

Andrew W. Mellon Foundation The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation of New York City in the United States, simply known as Mellon Foundation, is a private foundation with five core areas of interest, and endowed with wealth accumulated by Andrew Mellon of the Mellon family of Pitts ...

. García Peña was selected by the Marguerite Casey Foundation as one of six 2021 Freedom Scholars, honoring "emerging leaders in academia whose research can provide critical insight to social justice leaders and whose ideas encourage all of us to imagine how we can radically improve our democracy, economy and society." The award grants recipients $250,000 in recognition of their work in "cultivating and nurturing movements for justice and freedom." She has joined the Department of African American Studies at

as of July 1, 2023.

Works

García Peña is author of ''The Borders of Dominicanidad: Race, Nation and Archives of Contradiction'', published by

Duke University Press Duke University Press is an academic publisher and university press affiliated with Duke University. It was founded in 1921 by William T. Laprade as The Trinity College Press. (Duke University was initially called Trinity College). In 1926 Du ...

in 2016. The book won 2017

National Women's Studies Association The National Women's Studies Association (NWSA) is an organization founded in 1977, made up of scholars and practitioners in the field of women's studies also known as women's and gender studies, feminist studies, and related names in the 21st c ...

Gloria E. Anzaldúa Book Prize, the 2016 LASA Latino/a Studies Book Award, and the 2016 Isis Duarte Book Prize in Haiti and Dominican Studies. Reviewing ''The Borders of Dominicanidad'' for ''The Latin Americanist'', Sobeira Latorre said the book “offers a historically grounded, meticulously researched, and thoughtful analysis of how dominant narratives of Dominican racial and national identity developed, and the ways in which these narratives have historically excluded racialized people.” The Spanish translation received national attention in the Dominican Republic and the Spanish speaking diaspora. García Peña has also published ''Community as Rebellion: A Syllabus for Surviving Academia as a Woman of Color'' (Haymarket Books 2022) and ''Translating Blackness: Latinx Colonialities in Global Perspective'' (Duke University Press, 2022). García Peña has also written on social and political issues in ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'', ''

Harpers Bazaar ''Harper's Bazaar'' is an American monthly women's fashion magazine. It was first published in New York City on November 2, 1867, as the weekly ''Harper's Bazar''. ''Harper's Bazaar'' is published by Hearst and considers itself to be the st ...

,'' '' The Boston'' ''Review'', ''

NACLA North American Congress in Latin America (NACLA) is a non-profit organization founded in 1966 to provide information on trends in Latin America and relations between Latin America and the United States. The organization is best known for publish ...

'', ''Asterix'', '' Aperture Magazine,'' among other outlets.

References

External links

Interview
in ''Esendom''
Interview
in the ''

Boston Review ''Boston Review'' is an American quarterly political and literary magazine. It publishes political, social, and historical analysis, literary and cultural criticism, book reviews, fiction, and poetry, both online and in print. Its signature form ...

'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Garcia Pena, Lorgia Dominican Republic emigrants to the United States People from Trenton, New Jersey Rutgers University alumni University of Michigan alumni Tufts University faculty Harvard University faculty Living people 21st-century Dominican Republic historians Dominican Republic women historians 1978 births